Birmingham in pole position to stage Formula E race Council in talks with motorsport bosses
BIRMINGHAM is in pole position to stage its first competitive motor race in almost 30 years.
Formula E chiefs have confirmed they could stage an event as early as next summer.
Bosses of the all-electric Formula E series say they have opened talks with the city council, and that Birmingham is now ‘ firm favourite’ to secure the race.
It would be the first official race on city streets since the Birming- ham Superprix roared through the city centre between 1986 and 1990.
The Superprix was part of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, with support races involving touring cars and sports cars.
Formula E is fast growing in profile, and stages street races in major cities, with New York, Paris and Berlin among them.
The UK races were last staged in London’s Battersea Park in 2016 before opposition from local groups contributed to its contract not being renewed.
Championship founder Alejandro Agag said: “We have got to have a race in the UK. London is tricky at the moment as we don’t have any kind of opening so there is no chance of that happening.
“We are open to other cities and we are talking to Birmingham about doing something there.
“Birmingham is the firm favourite at the moment. We need to grow the following of Formula E in the UK. It takes time and we have to be patient as Formula One has been around for a long time and is established.”
Bringing motorsport back to the city’s streets formed part of West Midlands mayor Andy Street’s manifesto last year.
He proposed that any revived race would feature the latest electric cars – showcasing Birmingham’s aims to become a world leader in research and development in the field.
The FIA-backed Formula E is currently in its fourth season, and last week unveiled a new car in Geneva ready for the next campaign.
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One’s former long-serving supremo, raised eyebrows last month when he suggested the sport he once governed should follow For- before he was elected mula E by ditching hybrid engines and becoming an all-electric series instead
“He is totally right,” Agag added. “Bernie is a visionary and he has made Formula One what it is today. If Formula One could, they should go electric.
“Formula One is the pinnacle of motor racing today, but the car industry is changing from combustion engines to electric so it is going away from Formula One.
“F1 has not lost its identity, it is just the industry has changed completely and gone in a different direction.”